What does a good SEO audit entail?

A good SEO audit is a thorough evaluation of all aspects of a website that affect search engine optimisation. The aim of a SEO audit is to identify weaknesses and opportunities so that the website can perform better in the search results of search engines like Google. An audit goes far beyond simply checking keywords; it includes technical, content and strategic onder parts of the website.

Hereonder the key onder parts of a comprehensive SEO audit:

Technical SEO control

Crawl errors and indexation problems

Search engines need zonder problems to navigate (crawl) your website and index it correctly. An audit onder looks for crawling problems such as broken links, missing pages (404 errors), or a robots.txt file unintentionally blocking certain pages. It also checks that all relevant pages are in Google's search index and that no pages are being unfairly excluded.

Website speed

The loading time of your website has a big impact on the user experience and therefore on your SEO. A SEO audit measures website speed and onder looks for what the main slowdowns are, such as large images or unnecessary scripts. Websites that load slowly are often ranked lower by Google and may lose potential visitors.

Mobile optimisation 

More and more people are using mobile devices to visit websites, and Google uses "mobile-first indexing", meaning that the mobile version of your website is the main starting point for ranking. A SEO audit onder looks for how mobile-friendly your website is, whether responsive design is used, and whether all functionalities work properly on mobile devices.

HTTPS and security

Google prefers websites that use HTTPS, which ensures a secure connection between the visitor and the website. An audit checks that the correct SSL certificates are installed and that all pages of the website load securely. Any HTTP pages should be redirected to their HTTPS variants.

Content SEO control

Keyword optimisation

One of the core aspects of SEO is the use of the right keywords. During a SEO audit, we check whether pages are optimised for relevant keywords that match users' search intent. This involves using the most important keywords in strategic places such as the title, meta description, headers and in the text itself. It also analyses whether there is no overuse (keyword stuffing), which can have a negative effect.

Content quality

Search engines want to provide users with the best and most valuable information. An audit assesses the quality of the content on the website: are the articles and pages relevant, well-structured and do they actually provide value to the visitor? This includes looking at the length of the texts, the presence of images and videos, and how up-to-date the content is.

Metadata and rich snippets

The metadata, such as the titles and descriptions you see in search results, should not only be attractive to users, but also optimised for search engines. An audit checks whether all pages have relevant meta descriptions and title tags and whether they are properly optimised with keywords. It also looks at the implementation of rich snippets, which allow you to display more information in search results, such as reviews or product information.

Off-page SEO and link profile

Backlink analysis

Backlinks (links from other websites to your website) are an important factor in how search engines assess your website's authority. A SEO audit looks at the current link profile: how many backlinks does the website have, what is the quality of these backlinks, and are they from relevant and reliable websites? It also looks at any harmful or spammy links, which could have a negative impact on your SEO performance.

Social signals and brand mentions

While social media does not directly affect SEO, brand mentions and shares can help increase online reach and create natural backlinks. An audit onder looks for how active and visible your brand is on social platforms and in online discussions.

User experience (UX) and structure

User experience and navigation

Search engines prefer websites that offer users a pleasant experience. This means that the website should be uncluttered and that users can easily find the right information. A SEO audit onder searches the user-friendliness of the website, including the navigation structure, the use of internal links and whether there are clear call-to-actions that help visitors click further.

Internal link structure

The way pages within your website are linked together plays an important role in SEO. An audit looks at the internal link structure and whether it helps to give the most important pages more authority. This can help those pages rank better in search engines.

Why a SEO audit is indispensable

A good SEO audit provides a complete picture of your website's search engine optimisation strengths and weaknesses. By having an audit carried out regularly, you stay abreast of potential problems that could hurt your ranking and can make strategic adjustments to continuously improve your website. The result is a better optimised website, more traffic, and higher conversions.

A SEO audit is thus an important onder part of any SEO strategy and helps companies to target their online visibility and performance.